Preparing the Online Language Program Administrator: A Needs Analysis of Intensive English Programs in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-293
Author(s):  
Angel Steadman ◽  
Rachel Kraut
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Intensive English ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Program Administrator ◽  
Intensive English Programs

scholarly journals Internet-Based Cultural Enrichment in the Polish Language Classroom

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Kinga Kosmala ◽  
Erik Houle
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
Culture Shock ◽  
The United States ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Polish Language ◽  
Cultural Component ◽  
Target Culture

Most introductory and intermediate textbooks for Polish, currently in use, are written in Poland and intended for intensive language study in-country where the “little-c” cultural component is inherent and immediate in an intensive language program. One of the most widely used textbooks in North America is the series, Hurra!!! po polsku I, II, III. This textbook is based on a communicative approach to language pedagogy and consists of thematic chapters according to aspects of life and culture in everyday society. The intent of the Hurra!!! po polsku series is that students will experience Poland while learning the language. This presents a problem to educators of Polish in the United States. Numerous communicative exercises presuppose acquaintance with the target culture while providing little in the way of input. We have found that students have difficulty relating to many exercises that carry specific cultural information. Our project is based on two specific goals: first, to decrease the amount of time spent in class to explain culture-specific aspects of the textbook; and second, to spare our students at least some amount of the usual culture shock one experiences when traveling to Poland. In this report, we describe a website, exercises, and activities we developed to accompany the textbook.

scholarly journals Language-By-Radio in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Edmun B. Richmond
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Special Interest ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Gambia ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Radio Programs

In the summer of 1981, the author was engaged in pedagogicalresearch in language program development for the governments of Senegaland The Gambia. During that period, he further participated in an eight countrylanguage teaching survey throughout West, Central, and EastAfrica, under the sponsorship of the United States International CommunicationsAgency. Included in that survey was an analysis of the useof radio broadcasts as a means to teach foreign languages. This articlewill describe the language-by-radio programs in four countries, i.e.,Senegal, Burundi, Rwanda, and Kenya. Of special interest is the use ofradio to teach English.

Motivations of Refugee-Background Adults in Enrolling in English Language Classes in the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 104515952096985
Author(s):  
Otieno Kisiara
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Self Advocacy ◽  
Language Programs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Learning English

This study examines the motivations of refugee-background adults in participating in English language classes in the United States. Five focus group discussions were held with refugee-background adults with no or very limited English proficiency who were enrolled in an English language program in an urban area in the Northeastern region of the United States. The study participants had been resettled in the United States for between 10 months and 4 years at the time of study and were of different nationalities, including Somalia, Yemen, Myanmar, Cuba, and Sudan. While agencies and organizations funding and running these English programs have generally focused on job readiness English language skills in their curriculums, this study found that refugees had a wide range of motivations for learning English. In addition to better paying jobs, refugees were also interested in learning English to better navigate the health care system and safeguard their privacy, become self-reliant and avoid the humiliation of public assistance, enable self-advocacy in various settings, pass the United States citizenship test, and to provide English language support for family and neighbors. Based on these findings, the study recommends that these language programs intensify collaborative learning activities that invite and incorporate the experiences, perspectives, and expectations of refugee participants in the design, execution, and assessment of these programs.

scholarly journals Business Portuguese in the age of digital instruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Viana da Silva
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
University Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Business People ◽  
Research Article ◽  
Digital Instruction

This research article provides an overview of the online material available for business Portuguese classes in the United States and it explores the potential for digital instruction. It also shows the results of a needs-analysis survey conducted with 111 participants, including business people and university students in the United States. It also offers a proposal for a business Portuguese class that takes advantage of digital instruction resources already available.

scholarly journals Graduate student teacher voices: perception of and apprenticeship in multiliteracies-oriented teaching

2020 ◽  
pp. 99-134
Author(s):  
Tara Hashemi
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
United States ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personalized Feedback ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Approach To Teaching

In Chapter 4, Tara Hashemi examines Graduate Student Teachers’ (GSTs’) perceptions of their professionalization in FL programs which have adopted a literacy-based approach to teaching French in the United States. Findings show that while some clear efforts are being made by language program directors to provide GSTs with a large panoply of tools, GSTs wish they had more opportunities for direct and personalized feedback on their teaching as well as more demonstrations of concrete lessons in which the concepts of the literacy-based framework are instantiated. It cannot be expected that GSTs will understand and apply complex notions of the multiliteracies framework and multiliteracies pedagogy without relevant, adapted, and ongoing professional development.

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